Greeley woman goes all out to decorate house for Halloween

Deanna Holmes and her neighbors in the St. Michael’s subdivision in southwest Greeley love Halloween. Check out their decorations between 70th Avenue and Milliken Road, and 29th Street and 34th Street Road. Rumor has it one can find the best candy out there.

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Halloween stats

According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, consumers plan to spend $3.1 billion on costumes, $2.5 billion on candy, $2.4 billion on decorations and $390 million on greeting cards.

The same survey revealed 71 percent of consumers plan to hand out candy, 49 percent will decorate their home or yard, 47 percent will dress in costume, 46 percent will carve a pumpkin, 34 percent will throw or attend a party, 30 percent will take their children trick-or-treating, 21 percent will visit a haunted house or 16 percent will dress their pet in a costume.

Social media is the fastest-growing influencer for the perfect costume, according to the survey. Pinterest in particular has seen 133 percent growth since 2012.

Deanna Holmes played wild pranks around Halloween when she was growing up. She remembers filling bags with cow manure, lighting the bags on fire, leaving them on people's porches and running after ringing the doorbell. She remembers camping out on her Kansas town's Lover's Lane with her friends and throwing eggs at teenagers making out in their cars.

She left her trickster ways — if only because, at age 79, she thinks she'd get in more trouble now — but she hasn't lost the spirit.

On Thursday, tiny witch hat earrings dangled from Holmes' lobes. Small skeletal hands clasped together to form a necklace around her throat. Miniature skulls, strung together, formed an ankle bracelet.

Orange flowers sit in clusters at the base of her driveway in Greeley. The flowers almost act as a guide, leading folks to the good stuff. She just found the perfect mask for one of the ghouls standing tall in her yard. Clusters of bulbous orange pumpkins sit on Holmes' porch steps. When you get close enough, a witch guarding the door springs to life — cackling at and heckling unsuspecting visitors.

An arm and a leg stick out from the trunk of her car. A magnet reads "Husband in a Trunk."

"I get people who drive behind me looking very confused," she said. "They get a little closer and the realize and they just laugh and laugh."

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Holmes' house always brings a crowd of eager trick-or-treaters in the St. Michael's neighborhood in Greeley, but they don't even get to see the half of it. She decorates the inside of her house as well.

Recipes for witch's brews and scary snacks hang on the wall. A skeleton lies in a baby carriage. A portrait of a young man changes into something sinister when you walk past. Miniature graveyards and haunted houses spread into every open corner. Fairy gardens catch moments shared between black cats, bats and pumpkins. Holmes even sets out a flock of fluffy stuffed chickens wearing cloaks and witch hats.

"I'd do it on a desert island by myself because I love it," Holmes said. "I don't care if anyone sees it, but when they do see it they say, 'Oh, I love it.'"

Holmes' husband, Bill George, isn't quite as ecstatic about the holiday, she said. But he's a good sport and he carries the boxes upstairs so she can decorate the place.

"This year it took about four or five days to set up," Holmes said. "People came and helped me this year."

A stuffed witch, about the size of a toddler, sat in Holmes' kitchen. Holmes picked up the doll.

"I made this one," she said. She brushed back the witch's long black hair, searching for a date inscribed on the nape of its neck. "Here it is, 1970. They're so fun to make."

Holmes broke into a smile as she looked down at her handiwork. She's had to quit making her own dolls, but she keeps the ones she finished.

"I'd rather have them decorate with flags on the Fourth of July," she said.

— Kelly Ragan covers features and health for The Greeley Tribune. Have a tip? Call (970) 392-4424 or email kragan@greeleytribune.com.

Lookin’ spooky

Deanna Holmes and her neighbors in the St. Michael’s subdivision in southwest Greeley love Halloween. Check out their decorations between 70th Avenue and Milliken Road, and 29th Street and 34th Street Road. Rumor has it one can find the best candy out there.

•••

Halloween stats

According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, consumers plan to spend $3.1 billion on costumes, $2.5 billion on candy, $2.4 billion on decorations and $390 million on greeting cards.

The same survey revealed 71 percent of consumers plan to hand out candy, 49 percent will decorate their home or yard, 47 percent will dress in costume, 46 percent will carve a pumpkin, 34 percent will throw or attend a party, 30 percent will take their children trick-or-treating, 21 percent will visit a haunted house or 16 percent will dress their pet in a costume.

Social media is the fastest-growing influencer for the perfect costume, according to the survey. Pinterest in particular has seen 133 percent growth since 2012.